A FBOW excerpt in sequence: “Divorce”
Chicago, Illinois
Wednesday, April 24, 1963,
12:12 p.m.
Raining on this day.
Waiting.
Standing outside within the cover of a doorway watching…
Seeing Elizabeth approaching from a half block away, rushing to meet her, “Hi, baby!” Holding Elizabeth’s elbow, steering her off the sidewalk into a doorway, their arms held tightly about each other, their lips meeting…
A long, seemingly never ending month away from each other, the words coming as naturally as breathing:
Her face held within his hands, “I love you!”
“Oh, God!” Elizabeth replied. “I love you, too!”
Chicago, Illinois_
Wednesday, April 24, 1963
3:42 p.m.
Kissing one last kiss, “Baby,” Elizabeth said, “I’ll see you next month…”
“God, Lizzy,” standing just inside the living room doorway, “I don’t know how I’ll be able to last another month without seeing you.”
“Me too, honey… Let’s save time and not meet downtown next month. I’ll start home at about eleven thirty, so why don’t you come straight here…” Thinking a moment, then, “I’ll park in front so you’ll know I’m home. But if my car’s not there, wait for me.”
“Yeah, baby, you know I will!”
One more kiss and, “I love you, Mitchie.”
“Me, too, Lizzie. I love you, too!”
Chicago, Illinois
Wednesday, May 29, 1963
1:47 p.m.
Catching her breath. Opening her eyes. Looking at him. Hesitating a moment…
“I told Myron I want a divorce.”
Her legs draped over his shoulder. “Huh?” Still atop Elizabeth, still within Elizabeth, “What?”
“I told Myron I want a divorce.”
“Yeah, Lizzie,” withdrawing, “I heard you,” rolling off, “but you know I…”
“I know!” Cutting him off. “I know you can’t, won’t leave your kids, and I’d never expect you to, but I’m so tired of living a lie with Myron. And, to be honest, I can’t stand him touching me anymore so I asked for a divorce last week and he agreed, and moved out yesterday.”
Quiet, staring at the ceiling, mulling the consequences of a single Elizabeth.
The good consequence: We can see each other whenever we want. I can call her whenever I want.
The bad consequence: We can see each other whenever we want. I can call her whenever I want—and I’ll want to all the time.
Seeing… being with Elizabeth this way once a month had become, to say the least, difficult, because, of course, he did want to spend more time, lots more time, with her this way. But he would also love to do the things ‘normal couples’ do:… go to dinner occasionally; see a movie occasionally; walk hand in hand within a crowd; just be seen with this beautiful woman at his side.
Also, something he’d dreamt of doing: to say ‘goodnight’ to Elizabeth; to kiss Elizabeth goodnight; to snuggle close against Elizabeth’s back and to sleep with his arm about her. To have Elizabeth snuggle against him and, sensing the comfort of Elizabeth’s body against his body and her warm breath upon the back of his neck, fall asleep with her arm about him.
This was something he knew was an impossibility, but still, spending the night with Elizabeth Lipshitz—soon to become Elizabeth Herzon once again—had become the dream, the obsession of Mitchell Lipensky.
But knowing Elizabeth had a husband and knowing he could not be with her at night time had made his nights easier and he would then move his thoughts from Elizabeth and bring his mind and attention to his wife and family.
Knowing Elizabeth was now alone at night…
Knowing, under different circumstances, were he single, he could be with, and ‘would’ be sleeping with this woman… sleeping with the woman he loved.
Mitchell knew Elizabeth’s separation and divorce would make his nights harder… Would make his days harder. Would make living harder… Much harder!
Chicago, Illinois
Wednesday, June 26, 1963
3:40 p.m.
Their lips inches apart, “Bye, baby.”
“You’ll call me later?”
Reluctant to move his arms from about her waist.
“You know I will,” thinking, When I can.
Hesitant to move, his hand moving from Elizabeth’s back to the soft hanging weight of a breast, his thumb caressing the nipple from above the slick material of her robe.
Wanting to stay a while longer, wanting to stay forever, “I love you.”
Wanting him to stay longer, wanting him to stay forever, “I love you, too, Mitch.”
Both knew he must leave.
Sighing, “Oh, well.”
Each knowing the meaning of the sigh.
Opening the door, “Bye, Baby.”
****
Although Elizabeth’s apartment did not face the street, sitting in the car looking at the building, a sense of abject loneliness came to Mitchell Lipenski.
Wanting to be with his children!
Wanting to be with Elizabeth!
Not having the slightest idea how to have both.
Knowing he could never have both—at least if he wanted to continue living with his children. Adding to the sense of Mitchell’s loneliness now came a feeling of complete helplessness.
Sighing once again, turning the key in the ignition, the coral coloured Studebaker Lark pulled away from the curb.
Wednesday, July 31 through November 12, 1963
Sorely tempted to see each other more than once a month…
“Bye, baby,” but knowing twice a month would lead to three times a month. Then what?
“Bye, Mitchie. You’ll call me?”
“Of course. Whenever I can.”
“I love you!”
“I love you, too!”
One last kiss, one last caress.
“Bye.”
****
Elizabeth’s uncontested divorce days away, he’d been plagued with thoughts, negative thoughts.
Knowing Elizabeth had been living alone since late May had opened a new vista of thought:
What if she gets tired of me? What if she meets someone else and starts to go out with him? How would I even know?
What if Lizzy gets tired of waiting for me? Waiting for me to do ‘what’ ?
She knows I can’t leave the kids! How long is she going to keep waiting for me while I do nothing?
The thought of life without loving Elizabeth, and without the ove of Elizabeth
unimaginable.
Being physically apart for a month, upon seeing each other there was always passion.
After all but ripping their clothes off…
Although in Elizabeth’s case…
On the last Wednesday of June she met him at the door wearing only a robe.
In July she met him at the door completely nude, and in August she’d left the door ajar and had been waiting for him in bed.
So, actually ripping only ‘his’ clothes off…
Finishing her breakfast of one slice of dry toast and tea.
Still in pyjamas, on the last Wednesday in September Elizabeth met Mitchell at the door and invited him to, “Come on into the kitchen and have a cup of tea with me.”
By this time their physical appearance and lovemaking had become familiar.
The first orgasm for both was always brought about orally.
Then, after a prolonged shower, a lengthy talk followed by lengthy foreplay—Knowing she ‘had’, although having no idea how many times Elizabeth had—Mitchell would have his second and last orgasm of the day through vaginal penetration.
****
Able to speak to Elizabeth at any time, Mitchell would call when Marsha was in the shower or fully out of hearing range. He would call when, finding an excuse to run to the store in the evening or on weekends and, if the children were along, hating to lie to them, telling them to wait in the car, he would rush into the store to make the purchase, and phone call.
Earning a decent living, there was no immediate financial problem.
The ‘Mom’ thing apparently no longer an issue.
As Mitchell became more ambivalent towards sex with Marsha, along with the display of his feelings, Marsha became somewhat more attentive and a bit more the sexual aggressor.
Having two women, two physically different women…
As the months went by…
Discovering that he loved the physical differences between the two women: body structure, complexion, physical appearance, including, of course, breasts .
Suddenly finding the words, ‘I love you’ easy to say to both women…And, surprising himself, to mean it.
Although, while in the throes of passion reminding himself not to use either name—so as not to call one the name of the other—Mitchell, once again, began to enjoy the sight, touch and intimate feel of himself within the body of his wife.
Within the body of the mother of his three children.
Although loving Elizabeth, Mitchell Lipensky felt himself once again falling in love with his wife and wondered if it was possible to truly love two women at the same time…
And so began to rationalize his love of both women.
As for Marsha Lipensky…
With Mitchell earning a decent living.
With her in-laws friendly enough but at arms’ length.
Marsha’s diabetes still an unknown disorder and her postpartum depression a thing of the past and although still inexplicably unreasonably fatigued and irritable at certain times of the month, Mitchell’s equivocal attitude more than occasionally fired her need for him.
Bewildered but not bothered by the fact that her husband rarely pestered her for sex Marsha’s passion revived, somewhat, and she, more or less, began to enjoy the intimate feel of her husband within her body.
So Marsha Lipensky, once again, felt herself falling in love with her husband.
Oddly, his love of Elizabeth Herzon became the spark that reignited Mitchell’s love of his wife and somewhat, the love of his wife for her husband and…
Going from famine to feast, Mitchell Lipensky truly enjoyed the subdued love of his wife and sexual attention of both his ‘at home’ and his exciting, beautiful ‘once a month’ wife.
So much so that Mitchell wondered when Elizabeth might ask him to stop at the store to pick up a bottle of milk…
Next FBOE excerpt in sequence: “I’m Diabetic”
